smiled smugly. Her friend was going to hear about her tardiness. Once too often, she’d been on the receiving end of Stacy’s litany of complaints over Jessie’s habitual lateness. It was nice to have the shoe on the other foot for a change and to know Stacy wasn’t perfect.
While she waited, she scanned the menu. It was a waste of time since she always got the same thing: chicken Marsala with roasted garlic and portabella mushrooms over penne. Folding the trifold menu, she set it aside, her fingers drumming impatiently on the tabletop. She dug in her purse for her iPhone and checked the time. Only five minutes past seven; she’d been much later. She scrolled through her messages; finding nothing from Stacy, she tucked the phone back in the outside pocket of her purse where it was intended to go. Leaning back with a sigh, she scanned the dining room.
Her eyes immediately landed on a table with three women, all of whom were staring in her direction. She immediately recognized Marc’s eldest sister Giada. Determinedly keeping a grimace from her face, she could only manage a tight smile and a nod in greeting. When all that was returned was an icy stare, even her small smile faded. Feeling awkward sitting there alone, she picked up the menu and pretended to read it, while silently imploring Stacy to hurry the heck up. Her eyes traced over every word on the three-page menu, hoping Giada and her minions would ignore her and go on with their lunch. When a shadow fell over her table, she knew she wasn’t that lucky.
If Jessie didn’t have bad luck, she had no luck. It had been that way since… well… always. She couldn’t ignore the woman standing by her table any longer. Plastering on a fake smile, she tipped her head up and promptly lied through her teeth.
“Giada, so nice to see you.”
“And you, Jasmine. I see you are alone. Won’t you join us? We have only just ordered.”
“It’s Jessie,” she replied stiffly, somehow keeping her fake smile in place. Either the woman was suffering from some kind of memory loss, or she was a bitch, purposely calling her by the wrong name. Her charitable nature assumed it was the former; gut instinct told her it was definitely the latter. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m meeting a friend. She’s running a few minutes late.”
“Oh, that’s a shame, maybe another time. You’ll come let me introduce you to my sisters, won’t you?”
How could she refuse? She followed Giada across the busy restaurant to where the other two women waited, both surveying her intently as she approached. Marc’s younger sisters, Renata and Annalisa, both had the same vivid coloring of their elder sister with dark hair and eyes, glossy red lips, and slender figures. Jessie cast her eyes around the table and saw salads, no bread, and either water or clear soda, which she suspected was diet. She envied their willpower over Raffaele’s bread.
Through fake smiles, she could feel their enmity and she wondered if it was directed at her specifically, or if they were protective sisters who would feel this way toward any woman their only brother dated? Fortunately, she didn’t have to stay long and find out because Stacy arrived. She rushed up to Jessie making her excuses, benignly flashing the evil trio a stunning smile before walking with her to their table. Jessie went with her calmly, ignoring the three sets of twin daggers that were searing into her back.
As Stacy slipped off her sweater, Jessie whispered low, “Quick, look at my back. Am I bleeding?”
Puzzled, Stacy froze for a second. “What?”
“Those ladies were Marc’s sisters, and I use the term ‘ladies’ only because we are in a public place.” She said this in a soft whisper, although in the crowded restaurant there was little chance of being overheard.
Stacy glanced their way as she slung her bag into their booth and shuddered. “Hecate, Circe, and Medusa, I gather?”
Jessie’s nervous giggle grew into a
While she waited, she scanned the menu. It was a waste of time since she always got the same thing: chicken Marsala with roasted garlic and portabella mushrooms over penne. Folding the trifold menu, she set it aside, her fingers drumming impatiently on the tabletop. She dug in her purse for her iPhone and checked the time. Only five minutes past seven; she’d been much later. She scrolled through her messages; finding nothing from Stacy, she tucked the phone back in the outside pocket of her purse where it was intended to go. Leaning back with a sigh, she scanned the dining room.
Her eyes immediately landed on a table with three women, all of whom were staring in her direction. She immediately recognized Marc’s eldest sister Giada. Determinedly keeping a grimace from her face, she could only manage a tight smile and a nod in greeting. When all that was returned was an icy stare, even her small smile faded. Feeling awkward sitting there alone, she picked up the menu and pretended to read it, while silently imploring Stacy to hurry the heck up. Her eyes traced over every word on the three-page menu, hoping Giada and her minions would ignore her and go on with their lunch. When a shadow fell over her table, she knew she wasn’t that lucky.
If Jessie didn’t have bad luck, she had no luck. It had been that way since… well… always. She couldn’t ignore the woman standing by her table any longer. Plastering on a fake smile, she tipped her head up and promptly lied through her teeth.
“Giada, so nice to see you.”
“And you, Jasmine. I see you are alone. Won’t you join us? We have only just ordered.”
“It’s Jessie,” she replied stiffly, somehow keeping her fake smile in place. Either the woman was suffering from some kind of memory loss, or she was a bitch, purposely calling her by the wrong name. Her charitable nature assumed it was the former; gut instinct told her it was definitely the latter. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m meeting a friend. She’s running a few minutes late.”
“Oh, that’s a shame, maybe another time. You’ll come let me introduce you to my sisters, won’t you?”
How could she refuse? She followed Giada across the busy restaurant to where the other two women waited, both surveying her intently as she approached. Marc’s younger sisters, Renata and Annalisa, both had the same vivid coloring of their elder sister with dark hair and eyes, glossy red lips, and slender figures. Jessie cast her eyes around the table and saw salads, no bread, and either water or clear soda, which she suspected was diet. She envied their willpower over Raffaele’s bread.
Through fake smiles, she could feel their enmity and she wondered if it was directed at her specifically, or if they were protective sisters who would feel this way toward any woman their only brother dated? Fortunately, she didn’t have to stay long and find out because Stacy arrived. She rushed up to Jessie making her excuses, benignly flashing the evil trio a stunning smile before walking with her to their table. Jessie went with her calmly, ignoring the three sets of twin daggers that were searing into her back.
As Stacy slipped off her sweater, Jessie whispered low, “Quick, look at my back. Am I bleeding?”
Puzzled, Stacy froze for a second. “What?”
“Those ladies were Marc’s sisters, and I use the term ‘ladies’ only because we are in a public place.” She said this in a soft whisper, although in the crowded restaurant there was little chance of being overheard.
Stacy glanced their way as she slung her bag into their booth and shuddered. “Hecate, Circe, and Medusa, I gather?”
Jessie’s nervous giggle grew into a
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